Bishop's Castle (Glasgow)

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Bishop's Castle , also Glasgow Castle , was a medieval castle in Glasgow , Scotland . It served as the residence of the bishops and archbishops from Glasgow until the Reformation when the last Catholic Archbishop, James Beaton , fled to France around 1560 . At the end of the 18th century, the castle was completely demolished to make way for the Glasgow Royal Infirmary .

history

The origins of the castle are not known, but the first fortress was probably in this place in the 12th century. It became the episcopal residence during the Scottish Wars of Independence when William Wallace recaptured it from the English in 1296 . In 1301 King Edward I of England garrisoned the castle again.

In the 15th century, Bishop John Cameron had a five-story donjon built, which was later expanded by his successors and other fortifications and buildings. James Beaton had a large corner tower added and Gavin Dunbar a gatehouse with round towers in 1544 . The central donjon served as a residence for the bishop and was called "Bishop's Palace". In the 16th century the castle played a role in many political battles, e.g. B. in the Scottish Civil War (1568–1573) between the supporters of Maria Stuart and their enemies. Bishop's Castle changed hands six times between 1513 and 1570 and was occupied by French troops at some point during this time. In 1544 it was defended against James Hamilton, 2nd Earl of Arran , and in 1560 by his troops against the enemy.

During the 17th century, the castle fell into disrepair, despite an attempt at repair by Archbishop Arthur Ross in the 1680s, and its building blocks were slowly being demolished. Eventually it was completely demolished in 1789 to make way for the construction of the new Glasgow Royal Infirmary Hospital.

Foundations of the castle were discovered during excavations for the St Mungo Museum of Religious Life and Art in the 1980s . The foundation of the corner tower and the curtain wall were exposed. A stone from the castle with a modern plaque was placed in Cathedral Square to mark the location of the former donjon.

Individual evidence

  1. ^ A b c Gordon Mason: The Castles of Glasgow and the Clyde . Goblinshead, 2000. p. 140.
  2. ↑ a b c Site Reference NS66NW 8 . National Monuments Record of Scotland.  ( Page no longer available , search in web archives )  Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.@1@ 2Template: Dead Link / lmid1.rcahms.gov.uk  

swell

  • Martin Coventry: The Castles of Scotland (3rd Edition) . Goblinshead, 2001.

Web links

Coordinates: 55 ° 51 ′ 46 "  N , 4 ° 14 ′ 11"  W.